


Class of the Century

by JLub (Aprotny)



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon Related, College, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Humor, PhD Student!Artemis, University
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-12-21 18:49:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21060746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aprotny/pseuds/JLub
Summary: Or Artemis starts teaching to get her PhD after the Markovia incident. Shenanigans ensue.And we've got it all on video.One-shot.





	Class of the Century

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ASmallVoice](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ASmallVoice/gifts).

M’gann slipped into a seat in the back of the correct classroom and set up the video camera where Artemis wouldn’t be able to see it, but it would be able to see her and the class.

Then, she pulled out a notebook and pen and started doodling. She wasn’t very good at it, but nobody was going to see her doodles. She was disguised as a first year college student. Blonde hair, grey eyes, glasses. Her eyes widened as she realized her mistake. She looked too much like Artemis besides the glasses. Brown eyes. There. She looked around. No one else was there yet, so she added brown highlights to her hair to further divert suspicion.

Shortly after, actual students began entering the classroom. M’gann smirked. This was going to be great.

Finally, at the allotted class time, Artemis entered the room. All the students stopped chatting and stared at her. M’gann looked with them. Artemis was wearing the dorkiest glasses she’d ever seen. The newly PhD student (she had finished her masters last month) wrote her name on the board.

“My name is Professor Crock. Yes, I know it’s a bad word. Feel free to laugh.” Only one student snorted. “Nice to know you are all mature young adults. Now, do I have a volunteer to hand out the syllabus?”

One nice girl volunteered quickly. The others were still staring. Artemis was doing a good job pretending not to notice.

“As I’m sure you noticed when you signed up, this class is about literary superheroes and their real life equivalents. Can anyone name a few literary tropes commonly assigned to superheroes?”

A boy raised his hand.

“Yes? Um… names. I forgot to take roll.”

Artemis went to find her list. The student she’d called on didn’t remain silent though.

“Are you a superhero?” 

Artemis sighed as she found the roll. “You’re not the first to ask me that. No, I am not a superhero.”

A boy whispered loudly to the girl next to M’gann. “She said that to her last class too. I wonder what excuse she’s going to try this time.”

By this point, all of the students had stopped staring directly at Artemis and were instead whispering to each other and giggling.

Artemis looked exasperated, but didn’t comment. She started taking roll. The students responded when she called their names, but otherwise were quite clearly planning to pepper her with questions when she was done.

“Anyone whose name is not yet on the class list?”

A couple people raised their hands. M’gann kept hers down. The girl next to M’gann glanced at her, but assumed M’gann was too busy doodling and didn’t feel like calling her out.

Artemis took down the names of those people and went back to her plan of starting with superhero literary tropes. M’gann was impressed at how well she was keeping herself calm.

“You know you look a lot like that woman who took her mask off in Markovia?”

“I’ve been told that before. The one who helped the princess, right? I saw that on TV as well.”

“Are you trying to pretend you’re not a superhero?”

“It wouldn’t be pretending. Every individual has about seven doppelgangers somewhere in the world. I’m guessing that superhero girl is one of mine.”

“Do you know Nightwing?”

“Why would I know Nightwing?”

“You were in Markovia with him.”

“I’ve never been to Markovia.”

M’gann smirked into her hand. Practically half of the superheroes they worked with had offered her bribes to sneak in the camera. Not that she would miss this for the world.

“Why are you teaching a class on superheroes then?”

“The director of the Comparative Literature department thought it would be funny.”

“Because you’re a superhero?”

“Why does everyone think that?”

“Maybe because you took off your mask on live television?”

“Has everyone gotten a syllabus?”

“Now she’s avoiding the topic!”

Artemis seemed to be struggling to keep her cool. “Are… are you recording me?”

For a moment, M’gann thought she was caught, but it turned out Artemis was asking a boy in the front.

“Heck why not?” The boy cheered.

“If you’d read the syllabus, you’d have noticed recording devices are banned from class.”

“We haven’t gotten to the syllabus yet.”

“Then let’s get to it now. The assigned readings are...”

Artemis’s attempts to focus the class’s attention on the syllabus lasted all of five minutes.

“Tell us about your superhero experience!” A girl demanded brightly.

She caught Artemis off guard. “I… uh…”

The class joined in with further questions. M’gann snickered to herself. This was too good.

“Alright.” Artemis said finally. The students quieted down. “You’ve earned yourselves a lecture on why superheroes keep their identities secret. Any videos you post of me will be taken down later.”

M’gann could hardly hold her laughter in, which was fine because there were other students laughing as well. Much of the following lecture was borrowed from Batman. Not that Artemis realized the Bat would know about it. In fact, she’d probably get another Batman lecture later for it.

At one point, Artemis said something along the lines of, “Often, all it really takes to hide an identity is people not looking and a pair of glasses.” She took off the dorky glasses and glared at them. “Apparently, that doesn’t work for everybody.”

“Wait. Are you saying other heroes hide behind dorky glasses?” A student asked.

“No. That’s just something I attempted.”

“Oh my god. You know other heroes that has worked for!”

“No…”

“I wonder which ones they are!”

“Moving on…”

Artemis finally finished the lecture with. “I hope you have all learned something and that you  _ will not _ try to figure out superhero identities should you come across them. Class dismissed.”

The students were still snickering as they gathered their stuff.

The first one out of the classroom said, “Professor Crock, one of your friends is here.”

“What?” Artemis froze, eyes wide.

“Well, figured since you didn’t get through the entire lecture without proving them right, there was no harm in picking up my fiancee.” Superboy snickered.

The students looked at each other, whispering.

Artemis spun around. “M’gann! Where are you?!”

“Can I laugh now?” M’gann asked cheekily, joining them with the doodle notebook and camera. “You know, more than everyone else did?”

“I am going to kill you both.”

“Yeah right. There’s a strict ‘no kill’ rule. Most you could do would be to beat on us in training.”

“It’s an expression.” Artemis pushed past them out the door, a furiously annoyed expression on her face. “Whose idea was it?”

“I was approached by at least half the community.” M’gann replied as she and Conner followed her. 

“Oracle made sure to take down all the other live streams.” Conner informed Artemis. “Seems we weren’t the only ones who thought to record it.”

“Still going to kill you.”

“She and Cyborg are working to make sure it doesn’t spread further than the university. So only your friends will have it.”

“As relieved as I am it won’t spread, I am still mad at you for watching. Conner, did anyone see you come in?”

“Can’t say no one did. But I avoided as many as possible.”

“I was impressed at how well you handled the class.” M’gann said. “You got at least fifteen minutes in before having to switch to your alternate lecture. And you spent the remainder of the time explaining at least a dozen reasons they should keep it to themselves.”

“Although at least half that lecture was totally Batman’s and we could tell.”

“Shut up, will you?” Artemis led them straight to the Zeta tube.

The three of them Zeta’d to the Watchtower, where (surprise surprise!) over half the community was already gathered.

“You could’ve done without the line about the dorky glasses.” Dick cackled.

“I am honored you thought my lecture worth your time.” Artemis replied sarcastically. She marched towards the training room. “I hope the rest of my day is not subject to spies.”

They watched her go.

“Classic.” Eduardo snickered. 

“I’m still surprised M’gann managed to get through the entire class unnoticed.” Garfield motioned to M’gann. “Especially in that get-up.”

M’gann morphed back to her usual Watchtower attire. “I picked the most inconspicuous outfit I could. Plus I looked nothing like myself. Easy peasy.”

“So…” Dick said. “How will we do it next time?”

From the training room came a response.

“I heard that!”


End file.
